The Tower Tarot Card Meanings & Combinations

Most people are familiar with the image of The Tower and most of us prefer not to see it in our readings. Just as we never know exactly where lightning is going to strike, the upheaval this card can bring is usually sudden and unexpected.

The Tower tends to bring a bit of a shake-up and, just as the man plunges headlong from the building, it tends to release us from something we would otherwise cling to, perhaps through a false sense of security or philosophy. The Tower breaks through false illusions, leaving no option but to let go and move forward.

The Tower heralds sudden and unexpected change, whether through incident or news that reaches you. As with all the cards though, there are varying degrees in how it may be experienced, which may be easier to see with larger spreads, for instance, with the Life Spread and Anchor you can see the extent of the disruption, or whether it appears as an isolated event, therefore not affecting other areas of life. That’s not to say it will not be felt at all, but the impact may be more limited or confined in how it affects someone. Often, people see The Tower and consider it to represent complete ruin or destruction to an entire way of life, but it’s usually one event with reverberating shockwaves that tends to rock the boat.

The card is associated with Mars, planet of war, violence, accidents or destruction. I tend to think of this card similar to the effects felt from an eclipse, as it often releases us from something we’d otherwise hang onto, regardless of whether or not it’s good for us. A house built on unsound foundations will sooner or later collapse but then it can be rebuilt on solid ground. At the very least, The Tower tends to clear out the clutter but it may shake your core beliefs about something in the process.

When ill-dignified or for those who read reversals, the effects of The Tower are usually to a lesser degree, though still not necessarily pleasant. Some readers view it as a personal revelation.

Associations:Similar or supporting cards: For me, The Tower is in a class of it’s own on this one! However, Death and the Ten of Swords add the sort of tension we usually wish to avoid in a reading.

Opposing or contradictory cards: The Sun takes things from extreme to the other.The Star and Temperance (calm and healing)

Tower Tarot Card Combinations: When reading in simple lines (or Life Spread) The Tower is more damaging when it comes at the end, since whatever sits before it will come crashing down, or can add impetus to an already difficult situation. The best scenario is to see a very positive card following, indicating a quick recovery or complete turnaround of events, such as: The Tower to The Sun, where something that initially appears to be a disaster turns out surprisingly well and for the best; possibly a blessing in disguise.

You'll find more information to help you in Easy Tarot: Learn to Read the Cards Once and For All! book and card set.​Available from bookshops, Llewellyn, Amazon.com, & UK.

Material provided here is in addition and complementary to the kit. Copyrighted material displayed with permission of Llewellyn. Please see my notes regarding combinations and reversals on the main index page. ​ ​